At four years old, Kristin began playing piano, and before long, was writing her own songs. And from there on, she never stopped, taking classical piano and voice lessons through her teenage years and then picking up the guitar somewhere along the way. Eventually music became a way of life for her. Hoffmann was accepted to the Juilliard School of Music’s pre-college program and began studying opera, secondary piano and classical composition; she became influenced by Samuel Barber and French Impressionists like Ravel. “Opera training really molded my voice into what it is today. Once you study classical voice you can go anywhere with it,” says Hoffmann, who also found inspiration in popular artists like Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel and Radiohead. She soon realized she could marry the two, creating her own unique blend of classical and contemporary music. "I got a lot more joy out of creating my own music and having it touch people. It was just an unmatchable feeling.”
After Juilliard, Kristin spent a year at NYU and her songwriting evolved as she combined her classical roots with accessible pop sensibilities. She was briefly signed to Capital Records, but ended up self-releasing her first album Divided Heart, which she not only wrote, but co-produced, engineered and recorded. All the while, Kristin continued to hone her performance skills with a residency at Café Vivaldi in Manhattan’s West Village. Along with playing some 200 shows, selling 3,000 copies of Divided Heart and securing a loyal local following, As the buzz grew louder, Kristin was discovered at Vivaldi by Interscope and soon after signed to the label.
After enlisting her longtime musical collaborator Darian Cunning, along with producer David Bottrill (Peter Gabriel, Tool), Kristin escaped to Longview Farm Studios to make the album she’d always dreamed of. "I really had a very special, deep experience writing this record,” she explains of her time in the converted farmhouse studio in the middle of pretty much nowhere. In all that quiet open space, and with the help of a great piano left behind by Keith Richards, Kristin’s songs evolved with love and care.
Using her piano as a vehicle for her voice, Kristin keeps her instrumentation simple, so the gorgeous melodies and lyrics resonate with the audience on songs like “Home,” which is about finding inner-strength, “Bittersweet,” a song about choosing to follow your dreams over taking the safer path and the title-track “Real,” a song about being true to yourself.
Of her live performance, Kristin muses, “I hope to stimulate my listeners to go deeper within themselves to places they may be reluctant to go. I’ve come to realize that my greatest challenges have emerged from my mistakes, and that they were really blessings in disguise.” Through her gift for songwriting, Kristin illustrates spectacular sonic stories. "My music can reach across a lot of generations,” says Kristin of her varied audience. “Connecting to people by creating music is my contribution to the world."
Hey! Thank you for supporting my music. Check out my web site at www.vanessathompson.net and my music videos at www.youtube.com. One of my youtube videos is below for you to hear. If you like it, feel free to put it on your page and share it with your friends. There are also some banners on my page if you want to use them on your page. If you have Facebook, please add me. Some are putting me in their top friends. The support is really appreciated. Hope you like the new cover on Hollywood Celebrity Magazine. If you like my music, please add it to your play list for others to hear. Thank you :)
I will be opening for Baby Bash & Frankie J with special guest Paula Deanda in July, 2009 at the El Corazon in Seattle, Wa. at 8 PM. If you can be there, get you tickets now before it sells out. It is for all ages. See you there ~ Vanessa :)
Wishing you good spirit and health this Memorial Day! I am enjoying this time off on Myspace! For some,this day is very hard,thats why I try to make my music to enlighten.My best to you and your's.
Just take off your shoes and go barefoot...Your friend David...Hope your well I am guiding Melba Moore right now...What a singer " One of best voices in the world"
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